National Ice Cream Day is July 21!
Green tree canopies, butterflies, pool visits and an abundance of festivals are all inevitabilities of summertime in Dublin. One particular food stands above the rest as a staple of summer: ice cream.
If you’ve stopped at Dairy Queen or UDF after enough Little League games this summer, here’s a breakdown of several options in and around Dublin worth a visit for a fresh frozen fix:
Jeni’s Ice Cream and Graeter’s Ice Cream are popular choices, as evidenced by our readers’ poll on Facebook. Graeter’s secured 48 percent of the votes for Dublin’s favorite ice cream. Part of what makes Graeter’s special is its “French pot” style of ice cream-making.
Courtesy of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams
French ice cream involves using a large drum that stays frozen, and spinning cream within the drum quickly to make it freeze while it mixes. This style results in a creamy texture that can only be achieved with a specific speed and temperature. Graeter’s black raspberry chip is famous across the nation, with Food Network naming it one of the five best ice cream flavors in the U.S.
Jeni Britton, is all about the flavor. Novel collaborations including Ted Lasso biscuit-flavored ice cream and limited-time eclipse flavors have helped Jeni’s popularity skyrocket in recent years.
Jeni’s won Best Hometown Product five times in CityScene Magazine’s annual Best of the ‘Bus readers’ poll. Interestingly, Graeter’s beat Jeni’s for Best Ice Cream in 2023. Check out the July/August issue of CityScene Magazine to see who takes home each award this year.
Dell’s Ice Cream and Coffee was originally left off the Dublin Facebook poll for favorite ice cream since it’s technically in Powell, but Dubliners still listed it as their preferred spot. Dell’s offers classic and seasonal ice cream and sorbet flavors, and is known for its massive ice cream cookie sandwiches. With banana splits, dellogato sundaes with espresso and ice cream, and hot chocolate freezes, there are plenty of special treats for those thinking outside the cone.
Kilwins and Johnson’s Real Ice Cream are longtime, family-owned staples for Dubliners, and their classic recipes have a special place in many ice cream fans’ hearts. Kilwins candy-making efforts have informed its ice cream flavor crafting, which makes it a dangerous place for chocolate lovers’ wallets. With specialties such as “Muirfield Mud” flavored ice cream and Irish-inspired chocolates, Kilwins oozes Dublin pride.
Courtesy of Kilwins
Johnson’s Real Ice Cream is one of central Ohio’s favorite ways to experience a culinary blast from the past, with its recipes going back as far as 1950. Simple scoops, sundaes, cones, malts and shakes make up Johnson’s menu. keeping things simple and classic. If you are looking for some fun seasonal ice cream treats – like a turkey or an easter egg – make sure you put your order in early since they are very popular.
Velvet Ice Cream, founded in Ohio in 1914, is celebrating 110 years of service with four new flavors. Take a road trip to Ye Olde Mill in Utica for a picturesque ice cream experience.
Diamonds Ice Cream is also not technically within city limits, but if you haven’t tried its icy Mexican-style treats, know that it’s well worth the drive. From refreshing lemon pie, to Ferrero hazelnut and pinenut with pecan, you will find flavors here that you won’t see at your typical ice cream shop. To make the deal even sweeter, its creamy texture is uniquely refreshing and complementary of a blistering hot August afternoon. Across town and also just off Sawmill, Dulce Vida Ice Cream offers a similar style of frozen delights.
Tyler Kirkendall is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at tkirkendall@cityscenemediagroup.com.
